Traffic signal



Augjzl, 1923.

H. w. 'cHl'rTr-:NDEN

TRAFFI C S IGNAL Filed Aug. 26.

1922 2 sheets-sheet 1 alito: n u1;

Aug. 21, 1923.

H. W. CHITTEN DEN TRAFFIC SIGNAL Filed Aug.l 26 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Aug. 2l, i923.

HARRY W. CHI'LTIElNDllIiI', 0F MOOBLAND, IOWA.

larice.

TRAFFIC SIGNAL.

Application iled August 26, 1922. Serial No. 584,545.

To all 'whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, HARRY W. CHrr'rnN- DEN, citizen of the United States, residing at Moorland, in the county of Webster and State of lowa, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Traliic Signals, of which the 'following is a specific-ation.

This invention relates to an improved traiiic signal and seeks, as one of its principal objects to provide a device of this character which will be traffic actuated for automatically controlling movement of traflic in opposite directions at the intersection of streets or the like.

The invention has as a further object to provide a device which will display'clear signals to traliic traveling upon one street and `stop signals to cross traiiic traveling upon an intersecting street until a cert-ain number of vehicles have passed the device,

when the device will be actuated to display clear signals to the cross traffic and stop signals to said first mentioned tralic and vice versa.

And the invention has as a still 'further object to provide a device which will be characterized by structural simpliclty, which may .be readily installed, and which will be equipped to display signals' at night aswell as in the day time.

Other and incidental objects will appear hereinafter.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a perspective view of my 1mp-roved signal,

Figure 2 is a vertical fragmentary sectional view through the device,

Figure 3is a horizontal sectional view on the line 3--3 of Figure 2, looking 1n the direction of `the arrows,

Figure 4 is a detail sectional view on the line 4 4 of Figure 3, lookingsin the direction of the arrows,

Figure 5 is a detail sectional view on the line 5 5 of Figure 3, looking in the direction of the arrows, and' p Figure 6 is a detail perspective view particularly showing the counter-weight employed.

In carrying the invention into e'ect, I

- employ a base member 1 0-upon which is erected a tower 11 Iand leading `from the tower at the upper face of the hase is a channel 12 entering a recess 13.,. at one end ot' the base. Formed through-fthe base at said recess is an opening lftand normally upon the sha points with red colored stop signals 20 and at right angles to said si als with green colored clear signals 21. giiitably imposed upon the rim in each of the spaces between said signals are the numbers l, 2 and 3 equally spaced from each other as well as from adJacent signals. Fixed upon the shaft within the upper end of the tower is a second signaling member or disc 22 `mounting diametrically disposed red colored stop signal lamps 23 as well as diametrically disposed green colored clear signal lamps 24 arranged in a plane at right angles to the lamps 23. Current may he supplied to these lamps in any suitablemanner and formed in corresponding side walls of the tower at the upper end thereof are oppositely disposed windows 25 while opposite corresponding side walls of the tower are provided with similar o positely disposed windows 26. Preferab y, arrows or other suitable pointers 27 are provided upon the side walls of the tower pointing toward said windows.

Fixed to the lower end portion of the shaft 17 is a ratchet 28 and straddling said ratchct.is a fyoke 29 swingingly mounted Pivoted upon said yoke to coact with the ratchet is a pawl 30 supported by a-pin 31 extending between the arms of the yoke and secured to the yoke to engage said pawl is' a spring 32 ho ding the awl in engagement with the ratchet. Rising from thebase 10 adjacent the ,shaft is a bracket 33 and' iyoted upon said bracket is a pawl 34 held` y a spring 35 to engage the ratchet, locking the ratchet against counterrotation, the spring bein secured at one end to the bracket 33 and erin at its opposite end against the free end o said pawl.

Pivoted u on the base to project at one end within t e opening 11i o`l the base is a rock lever 36, the base being provided with a recess 37 to receive' the oppcaite end et ""said lever lying llush with the hase. Sunand secured te the lower side of the base at the opening lll; is e casing 40 between the side Wells of which entend spaced transverse cross pins 4l journaling pulleys 42 and 43.. Connected et one end tothe yeke 29 is e cable or other suitable lexible element 44 freely received. Wit-hin the channel 12 of the bese and secured et its oppcsite end'te the free end cf the erm 39'. This cable is trained around e pulley 45 within the tower ll and extending between the free end of the arm 39 end the inner end of the reclr lever 36 is a second. cenle il@ which ie treined over the pulley and beneezh the pulley 43, it being observed in this connection, sie shown 1n Figures and 5, Miel; the pulley 43 lies in a piene mediell f of lever and. is spaced helew the pull-ey Thus, es will be eeen, when che eurer end ei the lever is depressed, the arm will be swung fer rcclring the yclre 29 ic reteff -lc mail'. l? end connected 25e seid yelreer rear eide is e spring 4.7 l'er retreeingr lie yelre and elevating the forward lah@ Ter when seid lever is released. l'endin Lrenevereely within the lower is ai shaft 4:8 upon which ie ionineled a pulley end trained over seid pelle-f is e. cehle eeched et ene end te the cable ifi wir :1 the tower While "no the eppeeixe er eeh-le is secured e ceuntenweight 5l. Ae will be perceived,

fihi f @Gunther-Weight will; eci; euriliery te fg 4'? fer Wahine. the erwerd end l lever er a maintaining the A. u end preferably, 13e ecreddle the ceble in. ndvnnce ef the a e fili from being" n el. engagement wich Seid ll/iennfred unen heee ad reni;

cahier; 4,.. simple 44 el;

pulley lifced er pulled pulley. felle le r 36 ie a guard member inclined we the lever in the rear rliereef. mere periculerly te Fign y with i l ef lhe prveazl nie Refer aree anni 2 ci if; will, fer cenvenie ce, ne :1% het lie. eigneling muy the slsep eignele c eri-ther, ish@ clear e ner'th. south ener end Weel: treiic es Vehicles lieveling south e ever' lie lever 36, de-

" A leve ne signaling; member l@ i e ence understood in el scripticin hereuebed Step hy M @Mange cf lie vehicle cn the eigneling member neeite che err'ew'e 27.

"n y2 will be hrcngrh; I "e, end en en until 'four when the slop signale i rerl'ah eeutli traffic niemeer nel; ce

emi; end Weel;

fiele er, er

Accel? in ce eepped eren Thee, nerizh and will be dienleyed,y

south trailc will be held up until four ve hiclee traveling east and west have passed the device when the device will register clear signale to north and south traflic. I accordingly provide a tralc operated signal which will function t0 regulate the movement'l of trailic at. intersecting streets. At night, the lampe 235 and 24 Will be energized so that when the lamps 23 displa 'clear signals at vthe windows 25, north an south trafila, for instance, will he permitted, While east and west trelic Will be stopped by the stop signels 'displayed by the lamps 24 at the Windowe 26.v Then, as the signaling member 22 is turned, stop signale will be displayed at the windcws 25 While clear signals will be displayed et; the Windows 26.

Upstending ronithe base l@ in front of the yelre 29" is, es best shown in Fig. 3, e post 54 end pivoted upon seid peet e. de tent 55 the fer-Werd end of which is, disposed ro engage the retclietwhile the end ei seid deeni; diepesc in the path cf swine-- ing increment of seid yoke. @enseqnently when the yoke is swung orwerdly for rotinu ing he signaling member 18, .che yoke will rock the detenta inte engagement with lie ratchet. fer preventing e, possible over rotetion ef lie shaft; er eech actuation of the lever Having thus dcecribed the invention, Whatie claimen ne new is:

l. eree signal including rotatable signaling member havin clem" and step signale thereon, i; c ectnn'cd meme fer rekening seid member to interchange the positicne ef seid signale with reelect te the trelic, end ineens fier limiting relatie-n of seid member et er1/eh actueilien wherec.

2. @renie signal including c. retetehle signe-.ling member having spaced clear end seep signale `ther-een, emilie actuated mea-ne for rnmiingseid member by Step to inferehenge the oeiaions or" seid signe s with' respect 'to ie rac, end means fer limiling the rotation ef said member at each step.

3. A ralic signal including rebneahle eigi'inling member having spaced clear und stop signals thereon, treic n for retailing :eid member step meer-ne upon the member for regi. poei'fien hereeiat nach sten.

4. treilc signal including e rotatable shaft, Si, ling member carried, thereby and previ ed willi spaced @leer end erop signale, rrenl'ic actuated Ineens- Ec-r rotating seid shaft te interchange the neeiticne or seid with respect te the emilie and including; retclnei; mechanism eieted with 'the end ineens operable by mechanism fer limiting the relation of seid shell'. t each Mumien thereof.

31. relie sigmal including; rommel@ shaft, signaling member can'led thereby 6. A traffic signal including a rotatable shaft, a signaling member carried thereby and provided with spaced clear and stop signals, a ratchet fixed to the shaft, a yoke swingingly mounted upon the shaft straddling said ratchet, a pawl carried by said yoke to coact with the ratchet, and a trafiic actuated member for swinging said yokeI and rotating the shaft to interchange the positions of said signals withrespect to the traffic.

7.- A traffic signal including a rotatable shaft, a signaling member carried thereby and provided with spaced clear and stop signals, a ratchet fixed to the shafit, a yoke swingingly mounted upon the shaft straddling the ratchet, a pawl mounted upon the yoke to coact with the ratchet, a cable connected to said yoke, a traffic actuated lever connected with the cable and` operable for swinging said yoke to rotate the shaft and interchange the positions of said signals with respect to the traffic, means for retracting the yoke when swung, andacounter- Weight connected with said cable for maintaining the cable taut.

8. A traffic signal including a base, a tower rising therefrom, a rotatable shaft projecting at the upper end of the tower, a signaling member fixed uponthe upper end portion of said shaft and having s aced stop and clear signals, a traffic actuate rock lever pivoted upon the base and operatively connected with said shaft for rotating the shaft to interchange the positions of said signals with respect to the traic, and means for limiting the rotation of said shaft at each actuation thereof.

9. A traffic signal including a rotatable shaft, a signaling member carried thereby and provided with spaced clear and stop sign-als, a ratchet fixed to the shaft, a yoke swingingly mounted upon the shaft, a pawl carried by saidyoke to coaetwith theratchet a traffic actuated member for swinging said yoke and rotating the shaft to interchange the positions of said signals with respect to the traffic, and a pivoted lever movable by the yoke to engage the ratchet limiting the shaft against rotation.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.-

HARRY W. CHITTENDEN [n 8.] 

